Tales of a Sage
by Fox Sannin's Concept Corner
Summary: Foreseeing the danger Madara represents, Kami decides to take action. Calling forth a warrior from a time long forgotten, she sends him back to the mortal plain to thwart the madman's plans and once again bring peace to the world.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**A/N: This is a rewrite of the first chapter (obviously). I'm not too sure about how I liked the first attempt so I wrote it again here and depending on the response I get, I'll replace the old one with this. As you can see, things have been taken a little slower and Naruto now has to track down the Kyuubi and seal it before traveling to Konoha. It just thought this would be A) More exciting and B) Suited the plot more. As I stated before, Kami won't interfere with the affairs of mortals but I realized that she interfered a great deal with sealing the Kyuubi.**

* * *

Humans, Kami had long ago decided, were incredibly and undoubtedly very troublesome. Harmony, it seemed, was a concept too alien for them to grasp and as such they strove to keep their race locked in a spiral of hate, death and destruction. Their every action affected all around them, putting entire species, including their own at great risk. Oh, she could never hate them for it; she loved all her creations equally, but it hurt her greatly to see her children fall so far from grace, many damning themselves to an eternity of torment for their actions. Even those who caused terrible atrocities in the name of frivolous things like personal wealth, race, territory and the such were never hated by the ever loving deity but she did feel a great disappointment. She could only hope that someday they learned from their many mistakes and thrived like they were supposed to.

However there was one of her children who was beginning to gnaw away at her near infinite patience. That child was one Uchiha Madara. As she watched the ancient (By human standards) man go about his business far below, Kami couldn't prevent the frown that graced her beautiful features. Long before he had even been born, Kami knew Madara was destined for great but terrible things. Fuelled by his own hate and contempt for the world around him, Madara sought to twist the natural order of things to suit his own designs. Even though he often sought less violent means to further his objectives, Madara's end goal would lead to a far greater crime than any previously committed by even the vilest of humans. He sought to rid all sentient life of their free will.

She sighed. Madara was powerful, almost too powerful. His control over his Sharingan eye was immense and he possessed a sharp and dangerous mind. Given a few more years she may have placed hope in the young Namikaze Minato but Madara was becoming too big a threat too fast. By the time Minato would be ready it would be too late to do anything. Madara would enslave all life on Earth and turn all who called it home into mindless drones. Therefore to stop this atrocity from happening she would have to do something she swore never to do, even if indirectly; she would have to meddle in the affairs of mortals. As much as she hated to do it there was far too much at stake. If Madara succeeded in his plans, the natural order would be thrown terrible out of balance, almost to a point where it could never be repaired.

She was silent even as the soft rustling of cloth announced the arrival of the one she sought.

"My Lady?"

She turned, and smiled kindly at the man before her, one who had dedicated his life to bringing peace to a troubled world. His handsome features and kind eyes went well with his strong, noble body; a testament to his days of life before joining her on high.

"I am glad you could make it." She said, her mystical voice sounding like the soft tinkling of a thousand merry bells.

He inclined his head. "I'm always at your call, My Lady. May I ask what has caused you to call out this old man?"

She laughed, a truly magical sound. "Ask any of the women here, I think you will find that very few would consider you old." Her face became more serious without loosing its gentleness. "But I am afraid that there is trouble brewing on the lower plains. Trouble that involves your decedents."

The man sighed. "I take it the blood feud of my sons still runs strong?"

"Yes, but I am afraid that is the least of our problems. One of your decedents seeks to undo your work. He seeks the power of the Juubi to enslave all of the world's inhabitants."

His eyes narrowed as a frown made its way onto his face. "How does anyone know about that?" His tone was low.

Kami smiled humorlessly at him. "The stone tablet you carved."

His eyes closed as he hung his head. "I had hoped that if I had died before separating the beast then my sons…"

Kami gently cupped his cheek and forced him to look into her eyes. "I do not blame you. You always had the best of intentions at heart and that is all that matters. Because of you the world managed to claw its way out of a deep pit of chaos and flourish. Your place here was assured long ago."

He heaved a sigh before standing erect. "What would you have me do?"

She suddenly looked sad and turned to look down upon the mortal plain once more. "I know I have no right to ask you to give up your afterlife but I ask that you return to Earth once more to prevent your descendant from carrying out his plans. I have though much on this matter but can see no other way. Once there you will retain your Kekkei Genkai and all of your knowledge but I am afraid your chakra level would be far lower than you're used to. Your descendant Uchiha Madara's plans revolve around collecting the Bijuu so I believe that there is a way to ensure he cannot fulfill his plans without you knowing about it." She looked at him meaningfully.

The man raised a brow with a lazy half smirk. "You think I should become a Jinchuuriki again?"

Kami nodded. "Specifically for the Kyuubi. Its power is key to Madara's plans, and you should have no problems containing it with your skills with seals, and you strong will. I'm sorry to say that containing the beast would be your problem. I cannot interfere too much. There is still quite a while before Madara's plans are out into full effect so there is no hurry. When I do send you back you'll be returned to the age of thirteen. That should give you plenty of time to train and become strong before facing Madara. I will provide assistance where I can. Will you do me this final service?"

The man didn't even hesitate as he lowered himself to one knee before her in total servitude. "You need only ask, Kami-sama."

She smiled sadly at the kneeling man. The greatest part of his life had revolved around combat against the greatest odds, where the only help he had was his own mind and strength and now she was asking him to return to that tragic life once more, leaving behind his well deserved peace.

"I will tell you this; no matter what happens, the village of Konoha will be the crucible of it all. It would be pertinent to go to this village and stay there. Also Madara is extremely knowledgeable of your personal history so I believe a change of name will help you move unseen. Perhaps your new name will be…Naruto?"

As a glow of pure energy began to envelop him, the Rikudou Sennin could only grin. It seemed there were interesting times ahead.

* * *

In the rain lashed hills of Ame, overlooked by a small region of mountains, stood a tiny derelict temple. It was no more than a stone building comprising of a single room that was at the very most ten meters long and six wide and filled with rotting benches that had crumbled in on themselves. The walls were thick with moss, the stain glass windows had long ago blown out and the stone floor was hidden underneath a thick layer of dirt. This tiny place of worship had been long abandoned during the last war and had never been rediscovered by its former worshipers.

Suddenly a tiny pinprick of light appeared in the centre of the temple. It shuddered and flittered about like a tiny firefly before it began to expand, its majestic glow lighting up the decrepit building. The light grew and grew until it reached blinding levels before giving one silent pulse and dispersing, leaving a small naked huddle on the floor.

Countless minutes passed before the huddle shifted and moved. Giving a large jaw cracking yawn, a young boy, barely into his teens, sat up, his hands wiping the sleep from his eyes before reaching up to run through his shoulder length spiky white hair. A pair of bleary blue eyes blinked sluggishly as he clambered to his feet, groaning as he stretched, hearing the bones in his back crack as they righted themselves.

Naruto blinked and looked around at his surroundings, not at all abashed in his state of undress. The place looked like it had seen better days and it was a good indication that there wasn't anyone around for some miles if a place of worship was allowed to fall into this level of disarray.

Naruto walked towards the heavy wooden doors, careful not to step on anything sharp or infectious and grasped the iron ring that served as a handle before pulling. Ancient metal hinges screeched in protest and flakes of thick rust broke away from the old metal as he pulled the door open fully.

The outside was just as desolate as the inside. A barren valley stretched out before him with a range of small mountains encircling it. The valley was bare save for a few leafless trees, bent and twisted and high above the sky was sleet grey, promising heavy rain. Naruto gave the air a small sniff. The entire place smelled stagnant. Like it had been left to soak in water for too long.

Naruto sighed, leaning against the door with his arms folded. _'I don't know where I am and by the look of things that cloud cover isn't going to shift any time soon. I don't know where the nearest town is, I have no money, no clothes, no weapons and no knowledge of the state of the world today. Well, if all else fails, follow your gut as my old man used to say.'_

He had quite a bit to do. He'd need to learn about the world, about who was in charge and who didn't like who. He needed to locate the Kyuubi and seal it. He needed to find this place called Konoha and establish a base there. He needed to track down his wayward descendant and stop him from releasing calamity on the world.

But right now his biggest concern was finding a pair of pants.

* * *

He had been travelling for two days when he finally discovered civilization. It was early in the third day when he crested a ridge before his eyes landed on what looked like a small town a few kilometers in front of him. He was clad in a simple pair of pants and a work shirt, a threadbare cloak draped about his shoulders with the hood pulled low over his white hair. He had procured the clothes from what appeared to be an abandoned farmhouse. Unlike the temple, the farmhouse looked as though it had been recently vacated, which looked as though it had been rushed. Dresser drawers and cupboards were haphazardly open and the place was in disarray. Only the shirt, pants and cloak had been left behind, leaving him to walk barefoot, looking very much like a beggar. There had been no food, no maps and no indication of what caused the former owner's abrupt departure so Naruto took his "new" clothes and left.

Pulling the cloak tighter about his shoulders, Naruto walked into the town, his calm blue eyes taking in every detail. Whatever this place was it had obviously seen better days. The many buildings were starting to crumble and appeared to slouch over the streets, giving the place a very claustrophobic feel. The residents looked even more decrepit, scurrying through the streets with tattered clothes hanging off unwashed, underfed frames as they hurried from one destination to the next, not pausing to speak to one another.

The state of the place just screamed "defeat".

He made his way though the small town, passing though the thin crowds. Deciding to save time, he turned towards a small stall selling blankets that looked too ragged to be new and asked the wrinkled old owner, "Excuse me but I'm new here in town. Do you know where I can find the nearest library?"

The old woman didn't speak but simply raised one gnarled hand and pointed to a building a few blocks down the street with a tarnished hanging sign out front painted with what looked like an open book.

Naruto thanked the woman and made his way into the library. It wasn't large; the entire building was only two stories tall and the rooms were not very big. The only light came from dull oil lamps which illuminated dusty shelves filled with old books that looked ready to crumble at the slightest touch. He went up to the counter and rung the small bell.

An portly man lumbered out of a back room with a limp, his face scrunched up as if he had just eaten a lemon whole. "D'ya want?" He asked gruffly, his lips peeling back over yellowed teeth.

"I was wondering if you had any books on history, any maps and any material on the legendary Bijuu?" Naruto asked politely.

"I don't know about the Bijuu but we have the history books and the maps. Second floor, stacks 35a to 56c for the history books, stacks 23d to 25d for the maps. I'll check the ledger to see if we have anything on the Bijuu." He told the boy, pulling a thick tome from beneath the counter and beginning to rifle though it, muttering under his breath.

"Thank you." Naruto said and wandered up the stairs in search of the indicated stacks. It didn't take long to find them and he took a number from the shelves, going as far back in time as he could. Seeing as he was the only patron in the library, it was easy to find an empty table to work and he piled the books neatly before cracking open the book detailing the earliest years and beginning to read.

He stayed at it for hours, reading and reading and reading. He made his way through history, reading up on all that happened after his death. Okay, so the books here didn't detail anything until a hundred years or so after he died but it was still invaluable information. He read up on all the wars, the struggles, the advancements, the people and the changes he'd missed, filing each and every scrap of wisdom away in his mind even though he doubted some of it would ever be needed. The old librarian had lumbered up the stairs to drop off a single tome he'd found concerning the Bijuu and Naruto thanked him graciously, placing it off to one side for later. It was getting on in the evening when he began to reach recent times and happened upon something that concerned him.

He had just begun a chapter called _The Decline of Ame_ when he paused. Ame. The name triggered something in his memory but for the life of him he couldn't remember what. Shrugging it off, he continued to read. It seemed this Ame place had become a sort of middle ground for the larger, more powerful nations that encircled it to wage battle and it had ravished the land. The book said that generations of warfare had decimated the land, destroyed crop fields beyond all repair, destroyed the economy and had misplaced or killed thousands of refugees. The land was in a constant state of marshal law and there wasn't even a Daimyo or royal family to lead. Instead, all the land was under the complete authority of the ruler of Ame's ninja village, who, it seemed, changed regularly as a result of major infighting and civil war.

It was somewhere near the middle of the book when he first noticed something off.

_The landmass that makes up the majority of Ame's total area size was once considered a lush and bountiful land, famed for its well grown crops, the medicinal properties of its fauna and the rare and endangered species that call the land home with many comparing the Ame of the past with today's Land of Fire, one of the biggest competitors of the agricultural market. Now however, the land is pockmarked with craters from numerous battles and as a result Ame's soil has deteriorated to the point where any plant growth is hard to come by. Bordered on all sides by foreign countries, most notably the Lands of Wind, Fire and Earth, Ame has become a place synonymous with war. Bordered on three sides by the mountain ranges of Kyobu, Hitai and Maju, these provide very little protection ag--_

Hold on a minute. The mountain ranges of Kyobu, Hitai and Maju? Unless things have changed more than he thought, he recognized those mountains. He'd frequented them many times in his life, often passing through the small villages that were nestled among the peaks or visiting one of the watch posts that were once stationed there. But if this Ame place was bordered on all three sides by these mountains then did that mean…

Quickly, he stood from his chair and rushed over to the railing where he could see down onto the floor below.

"Excuse me, sir." He called down to the librarian, who was seated at the counter, scribbling on a form. He looked up at the boy impatiently. "Can you please tell me the name of this country?"

The man looked at him as if he'd grown two more heads along with a nice pair of wings. "Eh? You don't know what country you're in? You touched in the head or somethin'?"

Naruto sighed impatiently. "Sir, I'm a wanderer; I've been traveling for a while and I haven't stopped at many towns. Please, just tell me the name."

The man gave a twist of the lips that was somewhere between a smile and a grimace as he spread his arms as if showing off the room. "You're in the wonderful and magical land known as Ame, boy."

Naruto paled and with a hasty "Thank you" tossed over his shoulder, he rushed back to his table and began rummaging through the piles, looking for a particular book, the feeling of dread and unease that was in his chest slowly growing.

Finally he found it: _The Formation of the Elemental Nations_. It detailed all the changes the world went through after the Great Upheaval; a time of revolution against the old ways and the birth of the Elemental Nations.

He nearly tore the book in half as he hurried to open it, his breath coming faster and faster with each second as he searched before stopping at a page.

_In the aftermath of the Great Upheaval, it was decided that the land would be equally divided up and that each province would take up a new name, one proclaiming its signature characteristic. For example: the Red Plains became known as the Land of Demons, Hearth's Haven became the Land of Bears, etc. (For a full list of the changes, turn to page--_

With a frustrated sigh, Naruto turned to the indicated page and began to run down the list, silently praying he was wrong in his assessment.

_The Emerald Bay became the Land of Whirlpool._

_Satoshi's Cove became the Land of the Moon._

_The Bays of Mist became the Land of Water._

Naruto reached the one he was looking for and his blood turned to ice.

_The Weeping Country became the Land of Rain._

Naruto stared at the sentence for many long minutes, as if hoping that if he looked long and hard enough that the words would somehow change. They didn't. For almost ten full minutes, Naruto stared at the page before numbly stumbling backwards into his chair, his eyes staring blankly ahead as his mind slowly processed what he had learned.

The Weeping Country. The Land of Rain. The Land of Ame.

This grey, depressing, decrepit, war torn, and above all, _dying _land…was his home.

* * *

He didn't know how long he stayed there, staring into space before he finally snapped out of his stupor. He did remember his stomach lurching before he ran for the door. He hadn't even made two steps out of the library before he vomited all over the road. Leaving the library only made it worse because once he stopped puking his guts up, he looked at the world around him. At the defeated faces of the people, of the state of the village itself and beyond that, the vast empty land filled with nothing but mud and dead trees as a heavy, dark cloud cover blocked the light from the sun, only enhancing the depressing atmosphere all the more. He wanted to fall to his knees. He wanted to run as far away from here as possible. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to shake his head in denial of it all. He wanted to suddenly wake up and find it was all a horrible dream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to rage.

He wanted to _kill_.

His hand clenched into a tight, trembling fist at his side as his blood started to boil. His teeth grit together painfully as his face slowly twisted into a mask of fury, his muscles standing taunt as a low growl started to build in his throat. He wanted to find them; the people responsible for turning his home into this…twisted perversion of its former glory and when he did he would wipe them from history. Who his targets were was the easy question. They were the countries that surrounded Ame and had decided to use the tiny land as a place to settle their differences without regard for the people that called this place home. He would show them that although this land was small and for the moment, wounded, it held the potential to become strong once more and then they would get their revenge for years of mistreatment. Ame…the Weeping Country was once the head of an empire and it could very easily become one again. Oh, they wouldn't have to worry about Uchiha Madara and the Juubi. What he would do would make their plans seem tame in comparison.

As his thoughts grew progressively darker and bloodier, the clouds above the village parted slightly, allowing a single beam of light to pierce through. The light hit Naruto right in the eyes and he jerked and raised a hand to shield them, his thoughts of revenge momentarily stilled. Before they could start up again, a calming breeze blew, enveloping him in a warm blanket as a sound echoed around him, like a whisper just on the very edge of his hearing.

_Calm…_

He wasn't sure if he really heard it or not but the soothing, gentle love that rung in that single word began to slowly drain him of his negative emotions even as he vainly struggled to hold onto them. It was no use. His anger and hate began to slip away from him, replaced by a sort of detached calm. While he wasn't serene, he at least wasn't angry. Contemplative was the way he would describe it. The face of his beloved wife appeared as an apparition in his mind's eye, her loving smile lifting his heart.

He glanced up at the single break in the clouds. He wasn't fooled. He knew what happened. Kami had influenced him. While she wouldn't interfere directly, she would help steer her children when she could. She must have sensed his fury and heard his thoughts. She was the Alpha; she knew, heard and saw everything.

'_Fine.'_ He thought, staring at the light beyond the clouds. _'I won't seek vengeance. I have a more important mission to complete and I fully intend to see it through. I _will_ fix this though.'_

Taking a few calming breaths, Naruto turned and reentered the library to continue his research.

* * *

The sky thundered and split with lightning as the storm raged high above, illuminating the barren landscape with white flashes.

Naruto pulled himself up the slippery, rain slicked side of the mountain, his fingers digging into the rock. He'd been at this for almost three hours now, long before the rain had started, and was nearing his destination. Sure, he could have walked up the side of the mountain with chakra but his new body was unconditioned for fighting so a little mountain climbing seemed like a good way for some quick and easy training.

He grasped a small crevice in the stone above him with both hands and his feet were notched into a small gap before him. He took a small breath before launching himself upwards, managing to grab onto the ledge above him. Suddenly, his hand slipped and he nearly lost his hold but his other hand managed to keep a good grip. He glanced down at the large drop below him, the depth made all the more impressive by the shadows being cast by the storm in the night. With a small grunt, he managed to swing his arm back up and grab onto the ledge before pulling himself up onto a tiny platform jutting out from the side of the mountain.

There was barely enough room to stand, even for him, and he had to brace himself against the strong gale but he had reached his target. Before him was what looked like a crack in the face of the mountain; tall enough to allow a fully grown man to walk in at his full height but so narrow that even if he walked sideward, he would still run a high risk of getting stuck. Fortunately, Naruto was smaller and slimmer than a fully grown man.

He slipped into the tiny crevice, his eyes squinting to see in the gloom as he shuffled forward. The further he went the quieter and darker it got, the lights and sounds of the storm outside becoming nothing more than distant echoes. He regularly winced as his bare feet were cut on the sharp rock beneath him and there was more than a few groaned curses as he stubbed his toes on the rock face. Shoes. They would be his next objective.

He didn't know how long he travelled into the mountain or how deep beneath it he went but it was a while later when he stumbled out of the tiny tunnel into a far larger space. The lack of any light source made it pitch black.

He clicked his fingers sharply and immediately a small ball of fire appeared in his hand, giving off plenty of heat and warmth but not burning his hand at all. He held it aloft, illuminating the chamber.

It was indeed a chamber. Or rather, the outside of what looked like a large vault of some kind. The room was shaped like a half circle and dominating the flat wall ahead of him was a large pair of stone doors. Intricate carvings decorated the face of the doors, which he noted were of a lighter stone than the walls around him, being a sandy tan instead of a muddy brown. Naruto squinted slightly trying to see the details of the fresco but it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

He tossed the fireball into the air but instead of disappearing or falling to the ground, it bobbed in the air beside its creator as he slapped his palms together before inhaling deeply and blowing. A sheet of wind slapped the doors, blowing off all the accumulated dust and before it could choke him, a tiny tornado, barely two foot tall, appeared, sucking up the dust and disappearing with it back into the tunnel where it could be released without annoying him.

Naruto wiped his hands, a small smile on his face. It felt good to perform a jutsu after so long.

The fresco, uncovered, was now easy to see. It depicted a single man, wielding a simple sword and a monk's staff, standing before a great beast under a single moon. The ravages of time had whittled away most of the detail but the few characteristics that were visible were striking. The monster appeared to be hundreds of feet taller than the man, with ten long flowing tails curled above it as a single eye stared out, concentric circles radiating from a dilated pupil.

Naruto squared his shoulders and walked forward until he was stood before the large doors, flicking back the sleeves of his second hand work shirt as he did so. Bringing his wrists up, he gave them a quick bite, enough to cause them to bleed just enough to do what he needed. He waited until the crimson liquid ran down his arms and over his palms before he pressed his fingers to the stone, one on each side of the single gap between the doors, and began to write. His hands flowed smoothly as he traced the kanji that he had helped create long ago, known only by his closest comrades and encoded by the best minds of the time. He wrote a single line on each door in a perfect vertical line, making sure that none of the blood ran and that each character was perfect. After about a foot of it had been dine, the direction of his hands changed as he made two perfect circles of kanji before continuing down in another foot long line.

When he was done, he flashed through a series of hand seals, some common, others that had never been seen before, and then slammed his bloody palms into the circles.

"Seion."

The bloody characters suddenly burned with a bright purple, almost white, flame. He removed his hands, leaving two bloody prints on the doors as tiny veins of purple flame slithered from the circles of kanji. They flowed into the prints, slowly turning the blood to purple light. Suddenly, there was a pulse of chakra and the flames shot out across the doors, highlighting an extremely complex seal network that had been invisible before. The kanji that made up the seal were tiny, no more than a millimeter in size and covered the stone in a grandiose pattern, the whole effect quite stunning.

The seal burned for a full minute before there was a rumble of stone against stone as the doors slowly opened. Naruto stepped though.

If the entrance chamber was grand, then the one he now entered was simply unimaginable.

The chamber was a large dome shaped space made up entirely of black marble, thin veins of white running through it. The space was wide and perfectly immaculate. Hell, the floor even looked impeccably smooth, like it had just been cleaned. In brackets spaced in precise intervals around the room's perimeter, flames still burning. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought that this place had staff that regularly kept it clean.

Those thoughts, however, were driven from his mind as his eyes settled on the single focal point of the chamber. In the exact centre of the dome, raised on a circular dais, was a crypt made of the same black marble as the rest of the room.

He walked slowly forward, his steps echoing off the walls. He stepped up onto the dais and looked down at the long marble casket. His hand ghosted over its surface but didn't touch it. Taking a deep, calming breath, he brought up both his hands and slowly began to form seals as he chanted in an ancient language long forgotten by the world.

The effects weren't immediate. It was nearly two full minutes before something happened. A faint glow began to emanate from the surface of the casket but Naruto kept signing and chanting, never once breaking his rhythm. The light became progressively brighter the more he chanted until two kanji stood out against the dark marble which spelled "Ninpou". Naruto chanted the final verse before slapping one hand to the glowing kanji and pushing his chakra into the crypt.

There was a resounding sound of stone sliding against stone as the marble lid slid open.

When it slid fully out of the way, stopping with a dull bang, Naruto stood ridged for a moment before stepping forward. His hands rested on the rim of the coffin as he peered inside at the body that lay within. It was wrapped in gauze which clung to the dead, emancipated frame, the thin material only hinting at what lay beneath. Upon its chest lay three objects. Naruto reverently reached in to pick them up one by one.

The first was a simple hitai-ate. It was a metal plate attached to black cloth and jutting from either side were two short horns. Between the horns were the two kanji that spelled "Ninpou" or "Shinobi Sect". Naruto smiled fondly as he ran a hand over the engraving. _'Even after all this time it's still as untarnished as the day it was forged.' _He turned it over in his hands and lifted it to his forehead, tying the knot at the back and allowing a few strands of hair to fall over the metal, both at the sides and between the horns, partially obscuring the kanji.

When he was done he reached into the casket once more and retrieved a far longer treasure. It was a longsword, single edged and straight and as long as he was tall with a narrow guard that was almost as thin as the blade itself. The handle was long enough to allow the wielder to wield it with one hand most of the time but with enough space to grasp it in two hands if need be. It was in a simple black wooden sheath with a black leather belt to allow him to carry it slung across his back. He leaned it against the crypt before reaching inside and withdrawing the most valuable piece of all.

It was a shakujou. A Buddhist monk's staff. The metal pole was as tall as he was and topped with a hoop from which dangled six rings, three on either side of the pole that would jingle as he walked. Other than a few engravings on the rings, the pole was bare of ornamentation. Being made of a strange, practically indestructible metal the colour of dark steel, the staff was both simple and elegant.

He gripped it tightly in one hand and sent his chakra into it, through it and it became an extension of his very being. It hummed and throbbed in his hand and he could almost imagine it was saying "Welcome back, old friend".

He made to turn from the crypt when something caught his eye. Intrigued, he leaned in closer to inspect when his eyes widened in surprise and a broad grin broke out across his face. Arrayed around the inside of the casket were numerous scrolls, each tightly bound and sealed. He picked one up and looked at the title.

"Library." He read aloud, his grin becoming even wider. He looked back at the scrolls and chuckled gleefully. It was all here! His library, his journals, his trinkets, his jutsu notes, his weapon collection, his armor and best of all, his clothes!

He was quick to grab that last one and with a little flick of blood the seal was broken and out came his garments. He tossed off his tatty work clothes and slipped into his familiar battle gear.

He slid into a white gi, the open front exposing his chest and the long sleeves almost covering his hands. For his legs he wore a simple pair of baggy black pants over which he wore a billowing battle skirt that was open at the front and held up at the waist with a thick black belt, the top of the material folded over it so that the belt, save for the buckle at the front, was invisible. His feet were clad in a pair of "roman-style" sandals which wrapped half way up his calves over the pants. With great love and care he extracted from the scroll marked "Trinkets" a necklace made of a black cord from which hung six magatama; tomoe shaped jewels of glittering emerald. His beloved wife had crafted it for him and ever since then he had never been without it. He hung it from his neck, feeling the familiar weight settle on his chest reassuringly.

He stood, turning this way and that as he admired his new look. He looked just like he did all those years ago when he was a simple traveling priest spreading his message. He swung his sword across his back so that the handle was poking over his left shoulder then extracted from the scrolls a white hooded cloak which he wrapped around himself. He then sealed all of the scrolls into one larger scroll which he hung from the back of his waist before perching on his head a simple straw hat. Grabbing his staff in his right hand, he resealed the crypt before turning and exiting the chamber, the charms of his staff jingling with every movement.

He would never return.

* * *

After clambering back through the tunnel, harder now with his new additions, he stood on the rocky ledge, looking out over the rain lashed lands of Ame as the storm raged around him. He stood unbowed by the strong winds or the sheets of icy rain as he leaned upon his staff, his other hand holding the rim of his hat to prevent it from blowing away. His staff thrummed in his hand, seeking out the malevolent chakra of the monster. The miniscule seal array engraved along its metal surface glowed purple in the night, the rain fizzing as it came into contact with the charged ruins. The staff hummed. His eyes opened.

He found the beast.

His knees bent slightly before he launched himself forward, over the side of the ledge and down into the darkness below. He dived down through the air, the ends of his cloak snapping at the air and his blood singing in anticipation for the battle to come.

He had a demon to hunt.

* * *

**A/N: There you go. Please leave a review and tell me what you think and how you think this rates against the original first chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**A/N: This is the rewrite of Chapter 2 including a more epic sealing of the Kuubi!**

* * *

There. He could feel it. He was close.

Naruto slowly approached the large crevice ahead of him, sulphuric gasses boiling up from the massive crack in the earth's crust, under lit sinisterly by a furious red glow. Even from this distance he could feel the heat as shown by the perspiration dotting his forehead. He held his staff before him like a dowsing rod, the ancient metal thrumming as it tasted the beast's volatile chakra. Even if he didn't have his old prayer staff he'd be able to tell where the monster was in an instant. He'd been acquainted with its progenitor's repugnant energy long enough to taste the faintest traces on the air, sometimes even days behind the demon.

Although the sheer amount of killing intent this particular demon was giving off helped somewhat at well.

Barely fazed by the oppressive aura he forged on over blackened earth, a minor wind jutsu keeping the poisonous air out of his lungs and instead purifying it for him to breath. His white cloak was grey with soot. Eventually he reached the edge of the crevice and peered over the edge.

In the maps he had read this place was called the Devil's Maw. It was a massive fissure in the earth, many miles long underneath which were dozens of giant superheated caverns filled with blazing magma that bubbled up from the earth's core, the smoke from which would blot out the sun for nearly a kilometre in every direction; a permanent blackout. Places like this were famous for their mineral deposits, geological surveys and whatever else scientists thought was interesting. But there hadn't been any activity here for years. All activity just seemed to stop with no questions asked or answers given. For those who had knowledge about such things however, it was easy to tell that a mighty demonic presence had invaded the area, claiming it as its own.

And it was that mighty demonic presence that at the moment was snoring loud enough to send tremors through the ground.

Naruto shook his head as he listened to the monster's rumbling snores below, in one of the larger magma chambers below him. Leaping over the edge, he nimbly hopped from rock to rock down into the chamber, adding a little more chakra to his jutsu to cool him down. Stabbing his staff into the rock face, he used it to swing himself over a pool of superheated rock to land softly on a single platform jutting from the fires beneath him.

It was then that he got his first glimpse of the legendary Kyuubi no Youko.

He'd never actually seen what forms the nine parts of the Juubi had taken, only heard about them. To be honest, he was a little disappointed. While it did have somewhat oppressive chakra and quite a bit of it too, it had nothing on the monstrosity that was the Juubi. Where the Juubi stood taller than most mountains, the Kyuubi was a good deal smaller, although it was undoubtedly taller than any animal summon you were likely to meet. Reddish-orange fur that glowed in the light of the cavern covered a mass of sinewy muscle from the tip of its large muzzle to the ends of its nine flowing tails. The beast lay in the largest pool of magma like it were a hot spring, its gargantuan head resting on the stone platforms that had yet to crumble into the lava flow. Its black rimmed eyes were scrunched shut as its great body heaved with every snore, its hackles pulling back slightly over razor sharp teeth that would likely render a man with no trouble at all. Naruto stared at the slumbering demon for a moment before a small smirk slid onto his face.

It was time to get to work.

Leaping from the pillar of stone, he scaled the walls of the chamber, pulling a scroll from his robes and bloodying it. From the smoke appeared large sheets of parchment paper each inscribed with a large complex seal array which he slapped to the wall in seemingly random places all over the chamber. He headed out of the cavern and into the long valley-like crevices that spread out from it, targeting the ones that were large enough for the Bijuu to move through and attached even more to the walls there. For almost a mile in each direction he lined the top of the crevice with dozens upon dozens of smaller seal tags, each painstakingly and perfectly spaced and aligned with each other.

Landing on a larger platform of rock, Naruto glanced back at the slumbering demon. It was fortunate that the thing appeared to be a lazy bastard. It had taken almost two hours to set up the seal array so far and it would be another while before he was finally ready.

Setting aside his travel scroll and sword, he stabbed his staff into the ground in the direct centre of the platform before shucking off his shirt, wrapping it in his soot stained cloak to protect it from the blackened smoke and ash that spewed from the magma pits. He scrambled around in his things before extracting from the travel scroll a smaller scroll marked "Trinkets". A swipe of his hand and from the parchment appeared an ornate marble bowl of dark green and black, a ceremonial dagger of the same material inside it.

Taking the dagger he ran it over his palm, slicing the skin open just enough for a steady stream of blood to leak out as he held his hand over the bowl, letting the crimson liquid fall into the hewn marble. He clenched and unclenched his fist to prevent the blood clotting. It took a while but eventually the bowl was full. Holding his hand palm up to prevent any blood from hitting the ground he made a single seal and around his hand appeared a green glow which promptly sealed the wound closed. With his skill and the healing abilities granted to him by the Juubi that made him almost invincible he had never paid much attention to healing jutsu passed the creations stage, only going into an in depth study of the more powerful ones, but small jutsu like this one came in handy when the kids hurt themselves doing the stupid things kids do.

Wiping the knife clean he resealed it before withdrawing from the scroll a very expensive looking calligraphy brush, the handle of which was of the same polished marble as the knife and the bowl, the bristles as fine and as perfect as they had always been. He dipped the brush into the blood and, making sure it didn't dribble, began to carefully draw a series of concentric circles around the staff at measure intervals. Muttering to himself he traced his hand around the circles, seemingly measuring them, then began to paint very small but very fine kanji, making sure that he never stood on the blood at all. His hand in constant motion, he created a seal construct that any aspiring Seal Master would sell their very soul to possess.

It was long, tiring, sweaty, tedious, and precise work and by the end he had one of the worst ever cases of cramp in his wrist but in a short ten hour space of time he had himself one perfect Bijuu capturing seal all marked out on the top of the platform.

He glanced at the demon. About three hours before, he'd tenses when the fox moved but instead of waking up the thing just rolled over, muttering in its sleep. It wouldn't be long now.

Flipping off the sealing platform, he landed on another, slightly wider pillar of stone, giving himself a moment to shake out his legs after crouching for so long. He glanced at the bowl in his hand. The blood had long clotted and now was becoming hard. It would waste unnecessary chakra to try and pull moisture from the air here to clean it so he simply took his dagger and refilled it with blood. He placed it to the side before making a hand seal. Instantly, four identical clones appeared beside him silently, each wielding a calligraphy brush. They got to work.

Dipping their brushes into the fresh blood they began to craft another seal, just as complex as any other he had set up that day, directly onto the flesh of his exposed torso, arms and back. He remained stone still during the entire procedure. The slightest mistake would force them to remove the blood and start over from scratch which was something he had no intention of doing. The small wind jutsu he had kept up may have kept him cool and the air around him clear but the bright orange, red, yellow and white glow of the lava combined with the audio calamity that was the Kyuubi's snores were driving him up the wall.

Closing his eyes he fell into a deep state of meditation. It had taken almost four hours of travelling to reach the Devil's Maw, two hours to place the seal tags around the cavern walls and ten hours to draw the seal on the stone platform and he was beginning to fell the lethargy. He was no stranger to staying up for long hours. Hell, the battle against the Juubi had taken an entire week and stretched across three countries with only a few hours sleep in between each clash. The Kyuubi would be not threat but it was better to go into a fight fully charged when you could. No reason to hinder yourself unnecessarily after all.

It was many hours later when one of his clones tapped him on the shoulder. Slowly, his eyes slid open, squinting a little at the bright light after being closed for so long. With a mental order, the four clones dispersed and he immediately went through the acquired memories they each had of painting the seals on his body, noting with pride that they were perfect. Nary a bit of his skin was left unmarked, covered in thousands of tiny seal kanji running from around his neck to his waistline and the ends of his fingers.

With great care not to smudge the seal array, Naruto stood and collected his bowl, knife, calligraphy brush, gi, hat, cloak, staff and sword and sealed them all into his scroll before grabbing the lot and leaping over to a small group of rocks and stashing them there where they would be out of the way before jumping back over to the main sealing platform.

He took a deep breath, standing resolutely in the very centre of the seal; his feet standing in specially allocated spaces. He rolled his neck and his shoulders, groaning in pleasure as the muscles loosened up. His eyes settled on the behemoth before him as he began.

He made a hand seal. "Gan'yuu."

Suddenly the seal tags that lined the top of the crevice flared to life as a powerful barrier appeared glowing with vibrant purple energy. They would ensure that the demon wasn't going anywhere.

There was an old saying that has been passed down through time, changing slightly with the current trends and beliefs. It usually refers to ferocious animals and how NOT to deal with them. Most people would think of this phrase and say, "Well that's bloody well obvious!". It was too. Just a little common sense was all. However, Naruto wasn't like other people. So in this case the phrase "Never wake a sleeping demon" didn't really apply to him.

Therefore he had absolutely no qualms about hitting a slumbering Kyuubi no Youko in the eye with a rather powerful lightning jutsu.

The Devil's Maw caverns quaked as the mighty beast roared in pain, one bleeding eye clenched shut as it thrashed in the pool of lava, scattering the molten rock into the air. The caverns shook again when the mammoth fox's head connected with the powerful barrier that kept it sealed within the caverns, a sharp yelp squeaking from its muzzle. The demon fell to its side before slowly and cautiously rising to a crouch, one eye glaring up at the barrier in fury.

**WHAT!?** The monster's gravely voice raged, its one visible bloodshot red eye bulging as it darted about its lair, seeking the one who dared try to attack it. Suddenly it eyes snapped to the single white haired boy standing on a pillar of rock a few hundred meters in front of it. **A HUMAN BOY!? IN MY DOMAIN!? YOU DARE ATTACK ME MORTAL!?** Its hackled rose as it bared its teeth.

"I would!" Naruto called back, his young but strong voice echoing around the caverns. "I have a duty to uphold and your disposal is part of that duty, demon!"

**FOOL! I'LL ENJOY DEVOURING YOUR SOUL FOR THIS INSULT!** The demon thundered towards the boy, crouched low to avoid that damnable barrier above its head.

Naruto's hands slammed together, flickering between seals at blinding speeds. The Kyuubi reared up before him with an earth shattering roar, its massive jaws opening wide enough to devour him and the pillar he stood upon whole. It snarled as it lunged downwards.

**DIE!**

Naruto's hands slammed together. "Issenhyoushi Shuukusari!"

The dozens upon dozens of seal parchments that lined the walls suddenly pulsed bright before thick iron chains, each link as thick as a tree trunk, shot out to wrap around the massive body of the Kyuubi, binding its legs, arms, tails and head, the metal cutting deeply into the flesh. The demon's head jerked to a stop mere meters above the boy, its jaws still wide, unable to close them now because of the chains wrapped around its upper and lower muzzle. The beast gave a choke growl as it tried to thrash, to cast off the chains, but the restraints held true. Furious, it tried to gather its chakra, attempting to incinerate this entire cavern and every thing within miles. It suddenly froze, its eyes wide in horror.

It couldn't gather its power.

Something was binding its chakra.

Naruto grinned victoriously as a pair of large red eyes swung downwards to glare at him in a mixture of fury, surprise and fear. His hands began to race through even more hand seals, causing the demon to redouble its struggle but to no avail. "Your arrogance has become your downfall, Kyuubi! This world will finally be free of you and your damnable kin!" He shouted as he hit the final seal. "Tanjou no Jinchuuriki!"

The seal array beneath his feet lit up as vibrant arcane energy, the blood glowing white and seeming to outshine even the blinding glow of the cavern as a ethereal wind began to howl, pulling at Naruto's white hair and clothes as chakra poured off him. Two chains, far thinner than the ones binding the Kyuubi in place, slithered from the ground at either side of Naruto. The teen dropped his arms to his sides, allowing the links to circle up his arms before vanishing into the seals on his skin, binding him to the platform beneath him. His blue eyes, alight with energy, glared up at the beast before him, a beast which he himself had created in an attempt to spare the world the tyranny of the Juubi. The demon roared to the heavens, its great frame shuddering as it tried to break free, to avoid what it knew was coming, but it was all for naught.

Red eyes met blue, one pair filled with unfathomable rage and the other with blazing determination. Naruto's voice rang out, audible over the rushing of the lava, the roaring of the Kyuubi and the howl of the unearthly wind as he spoke a single word that sealed both their fates.

"Fuuin!"

White hot agony erupted before his eyes. Naruto was forced to his toes as his back snapped into a perfect arch, his face twisted in a silent scream. Both he and the Kyuubi gave jarring shudders before a pair of agonized screams tore from their throats. The chains binding them both began to glow red and the Kyuubi began to change. Its eyes swivelled frantically as its fur began to change from a vibrant heated orange to a darker maroon with patches of grey which only grew in size and in number, falling out in great clumps. The tons of corded muscle that lined its body began to sag and vanish as it wasted away, becoming more and more emancipated by the second. Violent red chakra began to seep from its decaying body and slither up the chains, disappearing into the seals on the walls.

That was when the seal beneath Naruto changed from a brilliant white to a tormented red. The kanji began to glow as they started to slide across his body, the tiny characters racing as they absorbed more and more chakra. His necklace, the gift from his wife, began to glow a hot red, throbbing with power. The demonic energy sucked from the beast wafted up from the seal, absorbed by the chains, and which was quickly taken in by his shaking body as he continued to scream in pain.

Naruto fell to his knees, his back arching so much that his head nearly touched the ground behind him, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull leaving only the whites visible. His hands were curled into painful claws, his muscles jerking as the destructive chakra of the Kyuubi pounded through his once pure chakra system.

Biting his lip, Naruto tried to gather enough of his mind. Blood flowed freely down his face as his newly elongated fangs pierced the soft skin. Clenching his fists so tight that he was faintly sure that he had broken his fingers, Naruto forced his eyes open as he fell forward onto all fours. He slammed into the stone as another wave of pain hit. With a scream his chakra blazed into life, creating a corona of purple flames that roared around him, flickers of red in their depths. Blood flowed as the seal kanji began to burn into his skin, trails of steam wafting from the marks. He latched into the demonic chakra with as much mental power as he could. Even after all this time there was still a small part of himself left in the demons chakra from his time as the Juubi's Jinchuuriki and he still had a good measure of control over it. He redirected the burning energy into select chakra paths, forcing it to bend to his will.

The Kyuubi was almost gone now. Its fur was a mangy black in the very few places were it still clung to the giant fox's skeletal frame. Gleaming white bone protruded from parchment thin skin, exposing an empty rib cage, the organs long gone. Its face was more of a skull now, its one remaining eye bulging. Its decrepit frame shuddered one last time, a whimper of a roar issuing from its gaping maw before it slumped forward. What little remained of it crumbled to ashes, falling free of the now slack chains which slithered back into the seals they came from.

Naruto tore at his hair, trying to stifle the screams. This was agony in its purest form. It felt like liquid steel was being poured through his veins, the heat so great that he was sure that it would make the lava that surrounded him seem cold in comparison. He could feel it building within him, a verifiable dam waiting to burst. He thought he was going to explode from the pain. He was lifted to his feet as a final wave of torment wrapped its clawed fist around him. His jaw opened as wide as it could, his eyes dilated almost into nothingness.

"**ARGH!!!!"**

A pillar of pure black energy erupted from the seal, smothering him with its malign presence, reaching so high into the stratosphere that clouds were forced apart. The lava filled chamber emptied as a wave of pure chakra flew from him, launching the magma into the air.

The Devil's Maw erupted.

The ground split as the night was lit up with baneful fire, clouds of ash and smoke billowing from the cracks as the ground was forced apart.

The world seemed to shake.

The winds roared.

Then everything was silent.

* * *

'_Ouch...'_

That was the first thing that came to his mind. Wincing, he pried open his eyes only to snap them shut again as his head throbbed painfully. He brought his hand up to press against the throbbing side of his skull, trying to relieve the pressure. Slowly, his mind started to filter the messages that his body was sending him. He was laying on the now glass smooth stone of the pillar, he was covered in dry blood, his head felt like it was split in two, his throat was raw, his bones ached, his muscles felt like rubber and his back felt like someone had held a white hot branding iron to it.

With what felt like Herculean effort, Naruto pushed himself to his knees, his hands bracing heavily against the ground. The first two times he tried to clamber to his feet he nearly keeled over his limbs were shaking so much. The third time though proved lucky and he managed to push himself up onto unsteady feet, almost going over the edge of the pillar. He wind milled his arms to try and prevent himself from falling over the edge and barely managed to stay on.

He rolled his shoulders, wincing as the fresh seal burns pulled taunt. He glanced around. The cavern was empty now, the lava blown away by the backlash of the sealing. It would probably find its way back into the chamber eventually but it would be a while. He looked down. The seal array that he had painted on top of the pillar had burned into the rock, creating a permanent replica in the hard stone. He'd have to fix that. He couldn't leave any evidence. Cracking his neck, he leapt from the pillar to the small area where he had secreted his gear.

He stumbled as he landed but caught himself quickly. Shaking his head to clear it of the light cloud of fog that permeated his mind, Naruto grabbed the large scroll, thankful that it hadn't blown away in the backlash. He unsealed a small bottle of water and a rag and began to wash off the dry blood that coated him. Under the blood his arms and torso were unmarked, if a little red. Finding difficulty in reaching his back, he created a clone with instructions to wash him. He blocked out the pain from the burns as hardened blood and dead skin were washed from his back, revelling in the coolness of the water. He waited until the clone was finished with his task before dispelling it, absorbing its memories and seeing the results of his work.

Over the tan skin of his back, covering all of his upper back, was a large, extremely complex seal. At first glance it appeared to be a spiral with three swirls, each of which ended in a stylish flame, spaced at even intervals. Around this was a perfectly shaped circle of spiky kanji, the characters flowing from one to the next without a single break.

The seal was complete.

Naruto drained the last of the water from the bottle, chucking the thing aside when it was empty, and began to redress himself. He slipped into his gi, thankful that the soft material didn't irritate the still sensitive seal, before unsealing his cloak, staff, hat and sword. He regarded the long blade for a moment before shaking his head and resealing it. He wouldn't wear it until the irritation faded and plus he doubted he'd even need it if there was a fight on the road. He slipped the strap of the scroll over his shoulder before tossing on his white cloak. He let his straw hat dangle from his neck on its cord and took up his staff.

He paused for a moment as if forgetting something then snapped his fingers in realisation. He turned towards the sealing pillar and formed a few hand seals. The top few inches of the rock, the inches that the seal array had been burned into, broke apart, becoming a fine mist of tiny stones. Naruto gave a sweep of his arm and the black cloud scattered, leaving unmarred rock in its place. Naruto dusted off his hands. With the Kyuubi's body crumbed to dust, his clearing the sealing pillar of any markings and the seal tags burning away after use, it would be a long time before anyone realised what happened here, if ever.

He donned his hat and leapt up the rock wall, out of the caverns. Now all he needed to do was find his way to Konoha.

Naruto had many hobbies and habits throughout his life. He was undisputed when it came to jutsu and seal theory and application, he was an avid astronomer, a lauded academic, a warrior without equal (At least in his previous life, something he didn't intend to let slip), a master strategist, fairly religious and had a taste for good sake. But if there was one thing that could describe him it was that Naruto was a wanderer. He loved to travel. Even as a boy it was difficult to get him to sit still, preferring to go off and sate his natural curiosity. Hell, when he had been but twelve summers old he had climbed a mountain just to see what was on the other side. He just loved to move around. Of course, he finally settled down in one place with his wife to raise a family but by that time he had already seen most of what the world had to offer. He had learned a myriad of different languages, customs, theories, observed religious rituals, had been taught highly ancient techniques and more. But now the world was different. Many of those languages had changed and evolved or died out all together, replaced with new ones. Customs had also changed and theories were either now proven or even more complex given the evidence and research unearthed over time. Everything was different.

As such Naruto was in no hurry to get to Konoha.

It took him nearly a month to get to the Hidden Leaf. He admitted that at a dead run from the Devil's Maw caverns he could have been there in three days, maybe four but he had his reasons for taking his sweet time. He continued to read up on history, learning as much as he could both to catch him up on the happenings of the time and to quench his own curiosity. He wasn't worried about the time it took. If he was needed in the village any time soon then surely Kami would have told him. He casually and haphazardly made his way in the general direction of Konoha, sometimes deviating for a few days when something caught his attention. He also discovered how much he loved today's economy. He had stopped into a temple museum in a city a few days into the Land of Fire and had noticed with a chuckle a collection of old coins from his time. The plaque said they were extremely old, predating the founding of the Elemental Nations, being somewhere over five thousand years old. Time had eroded the coins, making them little more that black twisted pieces of metal but he had overheard a tour guide claiming them to be worth quite a bit of coin. Naruto couldn't resist and so he sauntered into the museum curator's office, dropping three of the coins from his scrolls onto the expensive hardwood desk.

A few hours later saw Naruto exit the museum, his purse a good deal heavier with usable currency. He grinned. With the value of pristine pre-Elemental coins he gained enough money that with his simple tastes he could live happily for a good few years with what he received for the coins.

He didn't feel the need to mention that he was carrying a bloody fortune worth of the coins around in a single scroll. Needless to say he'd never be strapped for cash.

So it was after eating a variety of new foods, sampling a multitude of sake (Without anyone noticing. Damn those new underage drinking laws.), meeting some very interesting people, seeing fascinating places, sparring with a few travelling warriors, being attacked by bandits three times, escaping molestation by some rather sultry women four times and a small hiccup concerning some sake, a pig and a preacher's daughter that he finally made it to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Currently the reincarnated Sennin was seated in a lavish waiting room in what he had since learned was the Hokage Tower, the centre of government in Konoha. At the large main gate he'd been asked his reason for visiting which he'd honestly replied was seeking asylum. The guards had looked at him for a long moment, glanced at each other then asked him to wait a moment. A few minutes later two ninja in grey armour with white animal masks covering their faces appeared before him and bade him to come with them. They led him to a large conical red tower flanked by two smaller towers inside a large perimeter wall, the kanji for "fire" proudly emblazoned on the front. Leaving him in the finely furnished waiting room he was currently in they told him that the Hokage himself wanted to talk to him before they vanished, leaving him alone to his thoughts.

Naruto reclined on the comfy sofa, his staff propped up against the arm rest alongside his scroll. He'd left the sword sealed. He knew what was going on. He had a large chakra level and they could feel it since he did nothing to hide it. This indicated that he had ninja training and when a ninja wanders into the village presumably seeking asylum then it was bound to be treated with caution. That didn't make them stupid though. He could feel several chakra signatures hidden outside the room and there were two hiding under a moderately powerful illusion in the corners of the room. He ignored them, playing dumb.

He had been there for a while and had taken a book from the shelf, idly flicking through its pages, when there was a knock at the door a second before it opened, revealing a kunoichi wearing an otter mask, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Naruto-san, the Hokage will see you now." She politely said. Naruto nodded, grabbed his things and followed her through the corridors of the tower, feeling the hidden ninja following behind. They eventually came to a large circular reception desk against the wall, beyond which was a plain oak door protected by four more of the masked ninja. Naruto followed the kunoichi past the desk without a word, waiting as she knocked on the door.

"Enter." A young, strong voice called.

The redhead pushed the door open and beckoned Naruto inside. He entered, feeling her sticking close behind him, presumably with one hand on her weapon or at least near it. It was then that he got his first look at the young Namikaze Minato.

The first thing to hit him was the blonde hair. How could it not what with it reflecting the light from the large window straight into his eyes? The next thing he noted was the almost similarly blinding white of the unblemished robe draped over his shoulders, over what he now knew to be a standard Konoha Jounin uniform. From the look of it, it was the outer jacket of the robes of the Hokage. Namikaze had forgone the white undershirt and red gown, leaving the tri-point piped hat on his desk. His features were sharp and angular and he could easily be considered handsome. A pair of blue eyes regarded him as he entered.

Naruto cast a quick glance around the room. The strong wood that comprised most of the office was polished to a pristine gleam, the walls painted a calm crème. Four pictures adorned the wall to his left, one for each of the Hokage that had ruled and in one corner, resting on a coat rack, was the famous flame rimmed battle coat of the Yondaime, the white material immaculate.

Naruto stopped before the desk and gave a low bow. "You wished to see me, Hokage-sama?"

"I did." Minato said, his voce pleasant and light, his fingers laced before him. He gestured towards the seat before his desk. "Please have a seat."

Naruto nodded and lowered himself into the rather comfy chair, first removing his heavy scroll and hat, his staff resting across his knees as he leaned back into the leather. He felt the woman behind him take up a flanking position.

Minato regarded the teen before him. The boy had chakra and he did nothing to hide it, that much was obvious. If he had to guess then he'd venture that it was easily high Jounin levels and it was immaculately controlled with no spiking that he noticed. He seemed to glide across the hardwood floor without a sound, his body totaly relaxed and at ease with the world around him. By large scroll it was easy to tell that he had at least some knowledge of seals. The personalised hitai-ate gave him pause but he quickly noticed that the engraving on it didn't proclaim an allegiance but an ideal. The boy's face was calm and pleasant and for the life of him Minato could discern nothing of the white haired teen's thoughts or feelings.

"My ninja tell me," Minato began. "That you wish to become a resident of Konoha. That you want to claim asylum."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"They also tell me, and now I can tell for myself, that you have access to chakra."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The boy didn't look surprised that they knew.

"You understand that this is a very unusual situation." Minato said. "While we do receive our fair share of refugees they don't usually have access to chakra, never mind the levels that you yourself do. If they did one might suspect them of being either ninja sent to spy on the village or Missing-nin on the run."

"And you suspect that I may fall into one of these categories considering the fact that I have access to chakra." Naruto interpreted with a smile.

Minato nodded cordially. "The circumstances do point towards it."

"True." Naruto admitted. "But there is a third category that you may not have considered."

"Enlighten me."

"That I am neither an insidious spy nor a man on the run but simply a boy who has received training as a ninja." Naruto said.

"And are you?"

"Yes." Naruto nodded pleasantly. "But if you wish we can make done with the poorly hidden meanings and I can simply tell you my story."

"By all means." Minato allowed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, a look of intrigue on his face.

Naruto too settled himself into his chair. "I was born on a farm in the Land of Rain to parents who loved me unconditionally. Sadly complications during the birth took my mothers life leaving my father to raise me alone. For years I lived the life of a farm boy; harvesting crops, herding cattle, being routinely chased by angry fathers with daughters; the usual. We lived a simple but happy life. In the years before he met my mother, my father was a ninja and although he gave up that life to raise a family, he still taught me what he knew both so that I could protect myself but also so that I could be more useful when it came to farming." They chuckled at that. "So I trained as I grew, honing my skills even if I may never have need of them. In my tenth year bandits attacked the farm while I was at a neighbour's home. My father had been suffering from an illness for a while and as such he was severely handicapped when the attack began. Though he managed to kill the bandits he was fatally wounded in the struggle. I returned to find him dead and my home burned to the ground. I ran back to the neighbour who took me in and raised me for two years before I decided that I had had enough. I had grown tired of a life as a farmer and decided that I would take my father's teachings to another level and become a ninja."

Naruto rested his head back against the padded leather of the chair, staring out of the window, at the world beyond the glass. He sighed. "Hokage-sama, I won't lie. My homeland is in shambles and the people in power leave much to be desired. I love my home with all my heart and seek to one day return it to its former glory but I feel that change can only be achieved from the outside."

Minato sat in silence throughout the boy's speech. He saw the dimming of his eyes when he spoke of his parents dying, heard the fire in his voice when he spoke of his home and felt the contempt he held for those in power. This could either be very good or very bad. "And what if you came up against a ninja of Ame?" Minato asked, carefully reading the teen's expressions. "Would you be able to kill them in Konoha's name?"

"Yes." Naruto said quietly, his gaze shifting from the window to lock with Minato's steady blue eyes. "If they left me no other choice I would."

The room was silent for a long time before Minato asked, "Why Konoha?"

"To be honest?" Naruto asked with a lopsided smirk. "It's because of all the villages out there Konoha is least like a true ninja village."

"What do you mean?" Minato frowned. How could the strongest ninja village be least like a ninja village?

"Deception. Lies. Backstabbing. Untruthful. Deceit. These are words that most accurately describe a ninja. They are nothing like say a samurai who go to great lengths to maintain their image. They would do anything no matter how disgusting, degrading or inhumane to achieve their goals. Now while most ninja maintain a certain amount of decorum with how they go about it, it cannot be denied that there is no honour among ninja. Respect, yes, but no honour. It is in this way that Konoha is least like a ninja village."

"I think I'm catching on." Minato said slowly.

Naruto nodded. "In a world where deceit reigns Konoha stands apart from its fellow villages. You try to coexist with others, seek peace and understanding instead of bloodshed. Where some would try to usurp and conquer, you have been known to make friends and establish alliances. You follow your "Will of Fire" I believe you call it. Some call it weakness while others call it strength. I won't say that Konoha _isn't_ a ninja village; you can lie, cheat, steal and kill with the best of them but you aren't _as much_ of a true ninja village as other nations. _That_ is the reason I came to Konoha." Naruto grinned cheekily. "You're least likely to screw me over."

Minato looked at the boy long and hard. He had to admit he was fascinated with the teen's view on the world. True he was a little insulted what with his home being called the least ninja like of the ninja villages but he realised that it was a kind of backwards compliment. They were the least deceitful murderers in a world of deceitful murderers. He thought for a few long minutes, his fingers drumming against the desk. Naruto sat silent, leaving the young leader to his thoughts.

Finally Minato blew out a breath. "Okay. I'm willing to take a chance. I'll allow you to stay here for a month while we run a few background checks. If in a month nothing turns up then you'll be cleared as a full citizen of Konoha after which we'll discuss your chances of joining the ranks. Sound fair?"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "More than fair. Thank you for the opportunity, Hokage-sama."

Minato just waved him off. "No problem. Do you have any way of supporting yourself?"

"My parents left me a generous inheritance."

"Good. Otter here will lead you to the apartments set aside for people seeking asylum. It's fully stocked for living in but you'll need to get your own food. I'll send word once the probation time is up."

Naruto nodded and rose, giving Minato another bow before following the silent kunoichi out of the room. From his chair beside the window, Minato watched as a speck of white hair exited the tower before disappearing into the sea of people making their way around town.

'_Interesting kid.'_ Minato thought as he turned back to his work. _'I wonder what kind of ninja he'll be?'_

* * *

Naruto closed the door to his new apartment. The kunoichi had dropped him off, placed the keys in his hand and took off without another word. He slipped off his cloak and scroll and placed them neatly beside the door. He'd unpack it later. He hung his hat on one of the hooks and wandered his new home, taking it all in. It was small and modest; cheap but sturdy housing for the poor and unfortunate. It had everything he'd need to survive: a couch, two chairs, an empty bookshelf he could fill at his leisure, a comfortable bed and hot water.

Still there were some weird looking thing in the apartment. Like those big metal things in what he assumed was the kitchen. He only assumed it was the kitchen because he recognised the sink but little else. There was also a glass bulb hanging from the ceiling in each room. He had since learned that people had actually managed to use electricity to power their homes, giving them plenty of heat and light for when they needed it. Most of what the book was saying was a little jumbled to him though and he made a mental note to go back over it later.

Looking over his new home, Naruto lowered himself into the comfy couch, only to frown in confusion when he sat on something. Reaching under his butt he pulled out a small black...something. It had many little buttons, some large, some small and some coloured. Confused, he pressed a few of them trying to discern what the hell the thing was for only to come up empty when the small device remained unaffected. That was when he noticed a bright red button which was slightly larger than the rest at the very top. With no other ideas, Naruto pressed it and nearly had a heart attack when the apartment erupted in a calamity of noise.

_"AND IN WEATHER TODAY"--**SMASH!!!**_

Naruto's breathing was ragged, his heart pounding as he stared at the remains of the... _thing_ in the corner of the apartment. It was a large box shaped device with wires running out the back of it, connecting into the wall. The once smooth glass screen was now in pieces on the floor, his staff impaling the damnable device to the wall after he'd reacted to the sudden unexpected racket and tossed it like a spear towards the source of the noise. Sparks flew as smoke wafted from the innards of the thing, clouding the room in a thin layer of smoke.

Naruto waved his hand to ward of the smoke as he approached, his nose crinkling at the smell of burnt plastic. Taking a hold of his staff he jerked it out in one smooth motion, wiping a few pieced of debris off its gleaming surface. He crouched down to inspect the strange object, not familiar with any of the components. He was about to give up when he noticed something written underneath the now demolished glass screen.

"Samuoe...Televisions..." Naruto read out slowly. That only served to confuse him more. Who the hell was this Samuoe character, what the hell was a 'television' and why the hell was it in his home?

Suddenly this mission was looking to be a bit more complicated than he'd first anticipated.

* * *

**There you go. A new chappie!**

**A/N: Calling all Lord of the Rings fans! Or anybody good with nicknames! I am asking you all with a love of Tolkien's work to help me with a small favour. I need a series of nicknames and titles that Naruto will be known as during the course of this story. I don't mean like the "Yellow Flash of Konoha" or anything like that but names as you would expect from Tolkien's books just like say...Gandalf had titles like the Grey, the White, Mithrandir, The Grey Pilgrim, Stormcrow, the White Rider. If you have questions then please ask.**

**Remember to review!**

**Ja ne!**


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